I like Cory Booker and wish him well.
I hope he is careful with conpaign finance reform, because you can
go to far and start outlawing political speech unnecessarily.
Freehold Township is going a bit too far with a "no knock" ordinance
that will curtail free speech. Even religions will have to pay
money just to speak.
If you're interested, there's something about that on
www.justifiedright.com in the Jersey Shore section.
--- In AsburyPark@yahoogroups.com, "dfsavgny" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> November 1, 2006
> Ethics Bills Up for Vote in Newark
> By ANDREW JACOBS
> NEWARK, Oct. 31 This city's Municipal Council has agreed to a
> sweeping package of ethics legislation meant to transform a place
> once notorious for its backroom, palm-greasing, quid pro quo ways
> into one of the most transparently run cities in the nation.
>
> The measures, a centerpiece of Mayor Cory Booker's drive to shake
up
> City Hall, would cap campaign contributions at $300 for
individuals
> who do business with Newark, ban all donations from those engaged
in
> redevelopment projects and require builders seeking zoning
variances
> to publicly reveal past political contributions.
>
> Among the six ordinances that the Council is expected to approve
on
> Wednesday is a rule that outlaws fund-raising on public property
and
> another that creates a position of inspector general to oversee
> complaints of fraud and ethics breaches. The measures will apply
to
> both the mayor and the nine council members as well as to future
> candidates. All but two of the current council members were
elected
> in July.
>
> Mr. Booker has also said he would sign a separate executive order
on
> Wednesday that forbids municipal employees from giving money to
> mayoral candidates.
>
> "This legislation will put Newark on the cutting edge of pay-to-
play
> reform not only in New Jersey but in the nation," said Harry
> Pozycki, chairman of the Citizens' Campaign, an advocacy group
that
> helped draft the legislation. "It basically draws a line in the
sand
> against corrupting influences and says Newark is open for honest
> business."
>
> Craig Holman, the campaign-finance lobbyist for Public Citizen,
the
> government watchdog group, said he knew of no other city that had
> passed such far-reaching ethics reform legislation. "This is
> massive," he said. "Even localities that have endured a grave
> scandal haven't gone this far."
>
> Councilman Ronald Rice, who championed the legislation, said he
> expected the reforms to pass by a vote of 6 to 3. During a Council
> meeting on Tuesday at which the majority agreed to the legislation
> in principle, he pleaded with the holdouts who worried that the
new
> laws may hamstring their re-election bids. He argued that because
he
> ran as a reformer, he was able to raise $10,000 from across the
> country donated through the Internet.
>
> "This will be beneficial in ways that are innumerable for this
city,
> in terms of the kinds of developers we draw here and keeping out
> those who have poisoned this city for years," Mr. Rice
said. "Let's
> make history."
>
> Councilman Donald Payne Jr., who remained undecided on Tuesday,
said
> up-and-coming candidates may find the restrictions too
> severe. "These are local races, so if you can't raise your money
> locally, what do you do?" he asked.
>
> For students of Newark history, the legislation has the potential
to
> reinvent a City Hall that has been widely known for its old-
school,
> machine-style way of doing business.
>
> During his successful bid for re-election in 2002, the previous
> mayor, Sharpe James, drew most of his campaign funds from city
> employees, home builders and contractors. Attendance at Mr.
James's
> $500-a-ticket re-election soirees was de rigueur; those invited
> often arrived with the paychecks of municipal workers and those
who
> failed to do their part, especially police officers and
> firefighters, could expect unfavorable transfers.
>
> Walter Fields, a political consultant and former political
director
> of the N.A.A.C.P. in New Jersey, said an endemic system of
rewarding
> contributors with city contracts led to shoddy work and
substantial
> municipal waste. "For too long, people in Newark made up their own
> rules as they went along," he said.
>
> Business leaders said they welcomed the reforms. Richard F. X.
> Johnson, senior vice president of the Matrix Development Group,
> which wants to build a 14-story office building along the city's
> riverfront, said he was thrilled that the old pay-to-play system
was
> ending. "The development business is a pretty simple one," he
> said. "It's about transparency, predictability and consistency."
>
> For Mr. Booker, the passage of legislation he championed so
vocally
> will be a notable victory. Although the entire Council was elected
> on his slate, it was unclear whether council members would support
> his ethics agenda. Until recently, several key allies were
resisting
> the proposals.
>
> On Tuesday, Mr. Booker made an unannounced appearance at a
> conference room where the Council was discussing the legislation.
> When Mr. Rice indicated he had won over the pivotal skeptics, Mr.
> Booker kissed him on the forehead and then threatened to dance for
> joy.
>
> "Politicians acting against their own political self-interest is
> really remarkable, and I commend everyone for it," he said. "This
is
> really a wonderful day."
>
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